A Rapid Surge in Strength (Part 2)

Fortunately, the immense energy contained within the crystal surged into Gu Xiechen's Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea in time. He watched as that strand of red energy was swallowed by the Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea and assimilated into pale purple mist. Yet the assimilated energy amounted to less than three percent of the crystal's energy; the remaining ninety-seven percent was transformed by the Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea into the Innate Qi Gu Xiechen recognized and fed back into his meridians. The Hanyuan Zhen Dian began circulating instinctively. The vortices within his 108 major acupoints churned rapidly, continuously absorbing strands of pure Innate Qi into themselves.

More purple mist rushed out of the Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea and continuously pounced on the red crystal. More energy howled into Gu Xiechen's body, producing more purple mist and Innate Qi.

The unprecedented sensation of comfort nearly made Gu Xiechen throw back his head and cheer. Innate Qi came rolling in; the amount generated in merely fifteen minutes matched the strength he could achieve through twelve hours of painstaking cultivation. Forty-eight times! By absorbing the energy within the red crystal, Gu Xiechen's cultivation speed had increased forty-eightfold!

"If there are sufficient Zakra Crystals, Realm Masters cultivate at least forty-eight times faster than ordinary warriors! One year of their cultivation is equivalent to forty-eight years for an ordinary warrior! Earth's average human lifespan is now around 150 years. If a lucky person fuses with a Cristo Crystal and becomes a Realm Master at fifty, he can still cultivate with crystals for another hundred years!"

Every pore on Gu Xiechen's body opened at once. The result of his calculations made his hair stand on end. If Realm Masters were supplied with enough crystals, a hundred years of their cultivation would equal thousands of years for ordinary warriors. No wonder all Realm Masters frantically plundered crystals! No wonder the Earth's Federal Special Management Committee distributed a certain quantity of crystals to Realm Masters each year in order to control them!

"Feels wonderful!" Gu Xiechen scarcely needed to control the Hanyuan Zhen Dian anymore. His mutated Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea was practically a second brain, perfectly controlling the circulation of his True Qi.

The crystal's energy transformed into purple qi and Innate Qi. The Innate Qi merged into his dantian and 108 major acupoints, while purple currents rushed out of his body to absorb the crystal's energy, refining the Innate Qi along the way and making it even more condensed. A nearly perfect positive cycle had formed.

In just half an hour, all the energy within the red crystal was absorbed. Without Gu Xiechen even needing to think about it, the purple mist instinctively pounced toward the nearly hundred Zakra Crystals piled on the ground. Another wave of energy that made his entire body feel wonderful surged into him. This time, the incoming energy was so powerful that Gu Xiechen felt as if his meridians were about to burst.

Fortunately, the Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea instinctively slowed its absorption of energy, allowing Gu Xiechen to catch his breath.

"Hmm, it seems there is a limit to absorbing crystal energy. The stronger the body, the more energy it can absorb! A powerful body?"

The subsequent cultivation methods of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian surfaced in Gu Xiechen's mind like a bright moon beneath water, and his thoughts suddenly became crystal clear.

The Hanyuan Zhen Dian was practically a supreme manual created for Realm Masters. Acupoint Nourishment, Meridian Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Blood Augmentation, and the rest all existed to forge a sufficiently powerful body. The stronger the physical body, the faster it could absorb crystal energy, and the greater one's cultivation would become!

Gu Xiechen sprang up, swept up the nearly hundred crystals on the ground, and rushed into the warehouse next door. He lay spread-eagled atop the enormous pile of crystals and circulated the Acupoint Nourishment section of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian with all his strength.

Endless energy continuously flooded into his body. Vast amounts of newly generated qi rapidly filled Gu Xiechen's 108 major acupoints. The acupoint vortices, originally only one-third full, gradually swelled until they filled every inch of space within the acupoints. Purple mist washed over them again and again. The vortices gradually shrank and condensed, then slowly expanded and strengthened. After this happened eighty-one times, Gu Xiechen's dantian and 108 major acupoints were all filled with Innate Qi so condensed it seemed solid.

The Acupoint Nourishment section of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian had reached Great Vehicle!

Without hesitation, Gu Xiechen began circulating the Meridian Transformation cultivation method. Strands of Innate Qi flowed continuously through the qi channels throughout his body, constantly widening his meridians. His heart rate abruptly soared. Pure energy continuously surged from the Dao Embryo, while the widened and expanded meridians became increasingly sturdy and resilient under the nourishment of the Dao Embryo's energy. As they continuously expanded and strengthened, Gu Xiechen slowly entered a hazy, ethereal state.

In his daze, Gu Xiechen seemed to see the 84,000 stars of the cosmos flickering before his eyes. He seemed to see a star chart formed by those 84,000 stars revolving around an incomparably enormous Taiji vortex.

The vortex turned with extreme slowness. Endless mysterious auras seeped faintly from it, as though it represented all the meaning of this universe.

Crystals completely buried Gu Xiechen. A multicolored radiance covered his body's surface, his heart pounded rapidly, and the immense energy within the Dao Embryo continuously coursed through his entire body.

Deep within the Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea that Gu Xiechen could not see—within the depths of the realm he possessed—countless strands of purple mist gradually gathered and slowly formed a hazy black-and-white Taiji vortex. The vortex was tiny and faint, as if the slightest breeze could disperse it, yet that mysterious aura continuously seeped from it, slowly filling and occupying the boundless Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea.

Seven days and seven nights later, Gu Xiechen awoke from a deep sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, and streaks of purple light shot from his pupils, instantly illuminating the room.

The purple light vanished in a flash. Gu Xiechen slowly stood up and stared blankly at the Zakra Crystals on the ground, which had already become ordinary stones.

"Ten cubic meters! Ten cubic meters of Zakra Crystals! On the black market, one cubic meter of Zakra Crystals is worth at least a hundred million! A billion!"

Drawing in a sharp breath, Gu Xiechen thought, If I don't kill, rob, or commit evil deeds, where am I supposed to find so many Zakra Crystals to cultivate with? This stuff is federally controlled military material! Isn't this forcing me down an evil path? Well, I'm not saying I'm a good person, but this is forcing me to become a villain, a bad guy, a criminal!

He sensed his Purple Mansion Consciousness Sea. The once empty sea had become somewhat fuller, but that was all. There were no other changes at all.

"Heavens, how many crystals do other Realm Masters have to waste before they can cultivate successfully?" Gu Xiechen nearly cried.

What made Gu Xiechen happy, however, was that the Meridian Transformation section had been successfully completed. His meridians were broad and sturdy. The meridians, once comparable to an eight-lane highway, had expanded at least tenfold, and they were condensed and solid as though cast from bright jade. They were also filled with Innate Qi that seemed almost tangible.

His dantian, acupoints, and qi channels were interconnected, and the boundaries between the three had become indistinct. Gu Xiechen's body was now like a giant balloon filled with pure, condensed qi.

Wherever his will reached, immense qi rose at his command. There was no need to draw qi from his dantian and waste time. To Gu Xiechen now, the dantian was merely a source for polishing and refining qi during normal cultivation. But with the heaven-defying cheat of his realm absorbing crystals and converting them into qi, the dantian's function no longer seemed very significant.

"Marvelous!" Ecstatic, Gu Xiechen returned to the testing room. He carefully shut the door and stood solemnly before the testing device.

Gu Xiechen's meridians and acupoints no longer had to worry about their capacity to withstand qi. What limited his attack power now was the strength of his muscles and bones, which had previously been relatively tough. Carefully gathering his newly formed qi in his right claw, he kept it at the limit where the muscles, bones, and blood vessels in his right claw would not be shattered by the qi. Then Gu Xiechen struck the testing device with a "full-strength" claw.

A dull thud rang out, and the testing device trembled slightly a few times.

Ten seconds later, the light screen of the testing device displayed Gu Xiechen's new data.

"975 Zakra. High-stage Uranus fighter."

Gu Xiechen nodded in satisfaction. If he were willing to pay the price of injuring his bones and muscles, his attack power could increase by at least another twofold!

After casually erasing the data from the testing device, Gu Xiechen left the testing room and went to the gym in the base to test his physical strength.

Bench press: 5.85 tons. His physical strength had increased to more than twice what it had been before. This too was a tremendous leap.

Gu Xiechen forcefully swung his fist, stepped down from the exercise equipment, and, in an excellent mood, prepared to reward himself with a good meal.

The Bearded Commander, whom he had not seen for several days, appeared at the gym entrance at just the right moment. A fawning smile rested on the Bearded Commander's imposing face as he stared at Gu Xiechen like a lecher eyeing a naked beauty. A chill ran through Gu Xiechen's heart, and he instinctively backed away several steps.

"What do you want? I'm not interested in men! Especially not a big-bearded guy like you with no looks!"

The Bearded Commander merely smiled at Gu Xiechen. He grinned foolishly for a full three minutes before speaking to Gu Xiechen amiably. "Evil Dragon, I have a new position prepared for you. Interested?"

"Uh? What position?" Gu Xiechen was slightly startled. Had this guy noticed something?

"First Vice Commander of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group. You'll have your own directly subordinate combat regiment, and all your authority will be identical to mine, Big Beard's. What do you think?" The Bearded Commander stared at Gu Xiechen with gleaming eyes.

"I..." Gu Xiechen froze. He looked at the Bearded Commander and blurted out, "I think I've only been in the Hell Angels Mercenary Group for a little over a month!"

"For a Realm Master, any price is worth paying!" The Bearded Commander said solemnly. "Your strength has surged thirtyfold in seven days. If you still claim your Cristo Fusion failed, then you really are treating me like a pig. Since I've treated you well for over a month, are you interested in becoming the First Vice Commander?"

The Bearded Commander said sincerely, "After I retire, you'll be the boss of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group! The more than one hundred thousand brothers in the group will all be entrusted to you!"

"You!"

Gu Xiechen stared fixedly at the Bearded Commander. The Bearded Commander's eyes were clear and fervent, without the slightest trace of anything else.

He was a warrior who cherished the mercenary group like his own lover!

Gu Xiechen extended his hand. "Only an idiot would refuse! First Vice Commander? I'm in!"

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Recommendations, recommendations, recommendations. Clicks, clicks, clicks... (To be continued)